Ideal number of reps for weight lifting?

[Money & Muscle]

Is it like HIIT? One set to failure?

HIIT = High Intensity Interval Training (Metabolic Conditioning or MetCon... could accurately fit into the box of CrossFit)
HIT = High Intensity Training (DoggCrapp, Fortitude, Blood N Guts, among others... Training with the sole purpose of reaching muscular failure or going beyond that.

*If you meant "HIT", not "HIIT", then it is specifically that. And not the Darden style stuff either.

Trained By JP has a few different templates that vary the number of sets to failure based on training volume, but his Full Body plan is one set to failure and his PPL split is 2 sets to failure. Different training methods under this umbrella utilize different sets and reps to reach failure, but they all reach failure.

Again, if you aren't at a point of significant muscular development, Failure based training isn't required for growth. If you are (and are stalling on progress), it's overdue for you to move to a failure based training method.

I recommend DoggCrapp training for anyone who's not overly familiar with training to failure... rest pause is a hell of a teacher for what failure really means.

 

[Murk]

I stay 8-12 for most, my triceps respond better to low reps though, my lateral raises higher rep. I generally don't go lower rep range as I train alone and already got an injury last year, I alternate between higher and lower reps after 6-8 weeks. My biceps got a lot bigger in higher reps then I switched to lower recently. Log it all in excel so can easily glance over 1-2 months reps/sets/weight, I'm a bit OCD with my spreadsheets.

 

[Money & Muscle]

Log it all in excel so can easily glance over 1-2 months reps/sets/weight, I'm a bit OCD with my spreadsheets.

Cool, me too!

Here I thought I was the only one.

 

[Murk]

Cool, me too!

Here I thought I was the only one.

Nice, similar, I don't do "tonnage" but that would be more accurate to check total volume rather than reps/sets/weight.

HOw do you get it on your phone? Google?

 

[BackInTheGame78]

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33497853/

The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training - PubMed

The quest to increase lean body mass is widely pursued by those who lift weights. Research is lacking, however, as to the best approach for maximizing exercise-induced muscle growth. Bodybuilders generally train with moderate loads and fairly short rest intervals that induce high amounts of...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Full Text

Read into these as much as you want, but all signs point towards training to failure as the predominant source of progress in well-trained individuals. If you aren't "well trained" then you probably don't need to go to failure.

I used to love running Vince Gironda's "Honest Man" workouts, his famous 8x8's. Did them exactly as he did...30 seconds or less between supersetting 2 exercises for 8 reps each, 8 sets total, then changed exercises and repeated. Did this with a total of 8 exercises, so 4 complete sets. Usually took about 45 minutes and would do the same workout once in the morning and again in the evening as he did.

Super intense training, tons of volume, definitely high intermediate-advanced level training but results were amazing. Would run this 6 weeks and usually did it every 6 months, followed by deload periods after.

Not enough people know about Vince Gironda and his methodologies but for my money he is one of the best resources out there for a natural person looking to build an aesthetic physique. He is known as the father of modern day bodybuilding for a reason.

 

[Money & Muscle]

HOw do you get it on your phone? Google?

Yessir, Google Sheets.

 

[Money & Muscle]

Not enough people know about Vince Gironda and his methodologies but for my money he is one of the best resources out there for a natural person looking to build an aesthetic physique. He is known as the father of modern day bodybuilding for a reason.

His methods are severely dated and not based in science or widespread anecdotal evidence. Not saying they won't work - almost anything can be done to make someone look jacked, but they are not the most effective by any means.

Failure training 3x a week once into the intermediate phases of lifting, combined with quality food intake, will do more than anything Gironda has put out there. Sorry to poo-pooh your dude.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Cool, me too!

Here I thought I was the only one.

This is the basis behind Escalating Density Training(EDT).

Except it's more time based rather than rep based...ie, set a time for 8 minutes, pick 2 exercises and then do a set number of reps for each one before switching to the other. Back and forth between them until time runs out. Count the reps and add up the tonnage, then try to beat it next time out by either doing more reps or increasing the weight.

Usually best done with opposing muscle groups, ie, bent over rows and dumbbell presses.

Pick 3-4-5 sets to do and get after it with little to no rest between sets.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

His methods are severely dated and not based in science or widespread anecdotal evidence. Not saying they won't work - almost anything can be done to make someone look jacked, but they are not the most effective by any means.

Failure training 3x a week once into the intermediate phases of lifting, combined with quality food intake, will do more than anything Gironda has put out there. Sorry to poo-pooh your dude.

Must be pretty good...I was bigger and stronger than you without steroids. At age 40+

 

[Money & Muscle]

This is the basis behind Escalating Density Training(EDT).

Except it's more time based rather than rep based...ie, set a time for 8 minutes, pick 2 exercises and then do a set number of reps for each one before switching to the other. Back and forth between them until time runs out. Count the reps and add up the tonnage, then try to beat it next time out by either doing more reps or increasing the weight.

Usually best done with opposing muscle groups, ie, bent over rows and dumbbell presses.

Pick 3-4-5 sets to do and get after it with little to no rest between sets.

Your limiting factor becomes cardio, not muscle strength.

Are you trying to lift weights faster, or are you trying to get bigger and stronger?

 

[Money & Muscle]

Must be pretty good...I was bigger and stronger than you without steroids. At age 40+

post pictures with height and weight. I know very few who are actually bigger than me - and they are all on steroids.

 

[IKO69]

I used to love running Vince Gironda's "Honest Man" workouts, his famous 8x8's. Did them exactly as he did...30 seconds or less between supersetting 2 exercises for 8 reps each, 8 sets total, then changed exercises and repeated. Did this with a total of 8 exercises, so 4 complete sets. Usually took about 45 minutes and would do the same workout once in the morning and again in the evening as he did.

Super intense training, tons of volume, definitely high intermediate-advanced level training but results were amazing. Would run this 6 weeks and usually did it every 6 months, followed by deload periods after.

Not enough people know about Vince Gironda and his methodologies but for my money he is one of the best resources out there for a natural person looking to build an aesthetic physique. He is known as the father of modern day bodybuilding for a reason.

I am unfamiliar with his 8x8 method, but I will for sure read about it later after I am done with work. I am familiar with the personality. Gironda dips are one of my favorite callisthenic exercises and I do a ton of them on chest day.

Anyways I've always kept the rep range between 6-8. In terms of sets I will do about 4 for each exercise. I do about 4 exercises per each body part. I've pretty much always done it this way except for a few years ago when I read a mens health mag that had Wladimir Klitschko's workout. He did high volume with lower weight - going for endurance I guess. I gave up on it after a few weeks and went back to what I always did. My back, shoulders and arms are kind of big - my chest could use a bit more work but training the chest is something i've never been really that crazy about (I know it is most guys favorite).

Experimentation is the answer for the OP. You have to experiment and eventually you'll find a system that works. Mainly whatever you do, you want it to be challenging. By the end you want to know you got a good work out in,

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Your limiting factor becomes cardio, not muscle strength.

Are you trying to lift weights faster, or are you trying to get bigger and stronger?

I had a big 3 of 1420 lbs at 188 lbs, I was in the elite category for all of them(squats, deadlifts, bench/decline) for my weight, I didn't need to get any stronger and in fact, my joints eventually let me know I reached the limit of what it was going to allow me to do.

 

[Money & Muscle]

I had a big 3 of 1420 lbs at 188 lbs, I was in the elite category for all of them(squats, deadlifts, bench/decline) for my weight, I didn't need to get any stronger and in fact, my joints eventually let me know I reached the limit of what it was going to allow me to do.

Great numbers, but emphasis on *had*. Where are you at now relative to this?

What I'm getting at, is training AMRAP within a time interval is great if you're trying to lift those weights fast, but not if you're trying to lift heavier or get bigger. It certainly could work, it's just suboptimal as cardio is the limiting factor - not muscular strength.
If your goal is to get bigger and stronger, dedicated sets and reps (or rep ranges RE failure training) are ideal. AMRAP for time is a CrossFit function (which is pretty badass on it's own, but again suboptimal for hypertrophy).

post pictures with height and weight. I know very few who are actually bigger than me - and they are all on steroids.

Is that a "no" on pictures?

 

[FlexpertHamilton]

I do 2-5 reps for squats and deadlifts, and 5-8 for OHP, rows, and bench.

Depends what your goals are.

 

[RazorRambo24]

6-12 Rep Range

20 Reps for warmup/pumps /getting blood into the muscle before I work it out. I'll do a 3 set of 20 rep kinda thing or sometimes more to accomplish this.

My workouts, every single one of them is usually 5 different excercises, 5 sets, 6-12 rep range, Pyramiding with weights

 

[larrydude]

Depends on if you're weightlifting, bodybuilding, strongman , supplementing a sport activity or fitness

 

[Obee1]

3-5 reps are optimal for strength gains. Size comes naturally with strength. Work on getting as strong as possible.

If you're squatting 225 for sets for 5 you probably look like a guy that squats 225. When you put the work in and eventually squat 500 for sets of 5, you'll look like a guy who squats 500+. Even the journey from 225 to 315 will show aesthetic improvement. The weight will never lie or deceive you like the mirror and ego.

 

[EyeBRollin]

If you're squatting 225 for sets for 5 you probably look like a guy that squats 225. When you put the work in and eventually squat 500 for sets of 5, you'll look like a guy who squats 500+. Even the journey from 225 to 315 will show aesthetic improvement. The weight will never lie or deceive you like the mirror and ego.

Facts. People want an easy alternative. A guy that can squat and deadlift 500 lbs looks like it. Everyone in the room can see it (and they usually move out of his way).

 

[Reincarnated]

I hit each muscle group twice a week. Once focusing on power/less reps & the other in a higher rep range, focusing on hypertrophy. I don't have any clinical data to back it up, but it makes sense and works for me.

(By lower reps I mean typically 3-8, and higher reps 9-15).